


The Sakaar Adventure

by LexLemon



Series: The Carolyn and Marcie Adventures [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Carolyn and Marcie are a heap of trouble together, Even though I actually kind of like him, Gen, Grandmaster is lowkey a pimp, Infinity War and Endgame didn’t happen, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Not Grandmaster friendly, This is your resident ELO fan trying to slip in their music into her fics, Tony and Bruce are trying their best to coparent, Unapologetic musical number is unapologetic, but what else is new
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:07:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23993506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LexLemon/pseuds/LexLemon
Summary: When Bruce gets a summons from the Grandmaster to return to Sakaar, the newly reunited Stark-Banners decide to take their first family vacation together. But the Grandmaster has bigger plans for them, and Carolyn and Marcie will do anything to make sure he doesn’t succeed.
Relationships: Bruce Banner/Tony Stark, En Dwi Gast | Grandmaster/Loki (mentioned)
Series: The Carolyn and Marcie Adventures [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1728565
Comments: 15
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome, old and new readers alike, to the second story in The Carolyn and Marcie Adventures! If you’re an old reader, I’m glad you came back to see this family back in action. If you’re a new reader, you’ll probably want to read The Parent Trap before this so you understand what’s happening. But enough of me talking. Let’s get on with the story! I hope you like it! :)

New York City had a habit of making every area surrounding it gray when the time of year was anything but. This was due to the stark colors that covered each building that stretched to the sky. Despite the fact that a borough with "green" in the name still looked dark in March, it was still able to convey a sense of magic to all who visited it. That was the power of New York City. It was still able to capture the eye of everyone who traveled through, whether it was from the power it exuded or the actual magic occurring underneath the surface.

This is what the passengers of a sleek red convertible felt as they traveled through the empty streets of Greenwich Village, their faces pressed to the windows of the vehicle. As they rode down a quiet block, they pulled up to the side of the street and parked, opening the doors for themselves.

Marcie Banner was the first to step out, her feet hopping onto the pavement. Her eyes wandered around the area with a small smile on her face.

"Hey, Dad. Why didn't we live in Greenwich all this time?" she asked as Bruce Banner joined her side. "It's all so cute."

"Well, our place was closer to ESU, so it was more for convenience. But, uh..." Bruce looked around as well and placed his hands on his hips. "I wouldn't have minded living here."

"Don't even think about it, Brucie Bear," Bruce's husband, Tony Stark, said as he walked around the cab. "I'm not making you move a third time."

Bruce chuckled to himself as he felt Tony wrap his arm around him. "I wasn't even thinking about it, Tony. I promise."

"But I mean...if you _did_ want to, I'd be okay with it. Because we are not separating from each other ever again."

The two men turned to one another and gave each other a quick kiss, a warm light aglow in their eyes.

Carolyn Stark, Marcie's identical twin, was the last to leave the car, as she stepped around the back to stand beside her sister. "Plus, you live in a super high-tech facility upstate where a new Avenger has lunch with you each week. What could be better than that?"

"So is this it, Iron Dad?" Marcie asked Tony.

"It sure is." Tony gestured to a plaque on the wall of the building that read "177A Bleeker Street." "Girls, welcome to the Sanctum Sanctorum."

Carolyn and Marcie tilted their heads back to observe the building as a whole, from the sturdy marble foundation that made it look like an old library to the green roof with an odd marking that almost looked like a pound sign inside a circular window. The girls' mouths opened into small O's as awed breaths left their mouths.

"Wow," they chorused.

"Yeah, Stephen outdid himself with this place. It makes the MOMA look like a dollhouse," Tony said. "Come on."

Tony and Bruce made their way up the front steps while Carolyn and Marcie trailed in the back.

"I can't believe we're going to see a real wizard," the latter said.

"Yeah, Stephen's pretty cool. Dad's had him over for a couple of dinners now and then. He paid him a thousand bucks to do magic tricks at my seventh birthday."

"Did he do it?"

"If Tony Stark just offered you a thousand dollars out of nowhere, would _you_ deny it?"

"Good point."

"Although, I've never been to his house before. Do you think he keeps, like, people from different dimensions inside?" Carolyn stopped walking to gasp, grabbing Marcie's shoulders to face her. "We could be walking into an inter-dimensional Area 51."

Marcie laughed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Relax, Carolyn. From what I learned in researching it, this place is more like a museum for inter-dimensional artifacts than a prison."

Carolyn let go and slumped her shoulders with a sigh. "Will I ever get to meet some aliens?"

"You will today, if everything goes well," Bruce spoke up. He sighed to himself and lowered his voice so only Tony could hear. "Tony, I'm nervous about this. It's not exactly the best place to spend your spring break."

"Yeah, I know. But you said they loved you over there, right? So we should be fine. They're going to welcome us with open arms."

Bruce took a breath. "God, I hope so."

Tony raised his fist and moved it towards the door but felt a gust of wind blow against him. He stumbled in place then stood up, looking around to find his family doing the same.

"You guys okay?"

"Yeah, we're good," Carolyn said as she cleared her throat. "Not the first time I've gotten the wind knocked out of me."

"Um, guys?" Marcie asked. "Where are we?"

The group looked around and found themselves inside a massive hall with minimal light. The space was surrounded with cases filled with glowing jeweled artifacts and bookshelves that spanned to the ceiling.

"You're here," a voice said.

The group looked towards the front of the room to find a curved staircase standing before them. The wall behind it was made of a circular window with the same pound sign marking in the glass. A figure stood at the top of the stairs, its form hard to see due to the shadows it stood in. It wasn't long before it floated down towards them, the ends of a cape billowing out to the sides.

Once on the floor and standing in the light, the figure revealed himself to a man with a similar black haired, goateed face that Tony possessed. The main difference between them was his apparel, as he wore a baggy blue bodysuit, a gold amulet, and a long red cape.

"Welcome back, Tony," he said with a small smile.

Tony pulled him in for a hug. "Hey, Stranger Things. It's been a while."

"Oh, not that long. I attended your wedding, remember?" Stephen Strange's eyes fell onto Bruce, making him extend his hand out. "Which I must say congratulations for again. Bruce, nice to see you."

"Hey, Stephen," Bruce said as he shook his head.

Stephen faced Carolyn and raised an eyebrow at her with a knowing glance. "Carolyn Stark. A pleasure to see you again."

"Stephen! My man! Do you have any new tricks to show me?"

"Well, I've been studying an ancient art for the past several days that would allow me to unlock the true potential of my third eye. But it's far too enhanced for a human like y-Oh my god, there's two of them."

Stephen's eyes widened as his gaze fell onto Marcie, who stood before Bruce with a pursed smile. She raised her hand up to her head and made a polite wave.

Stephen sighed as he turned towards Tony. "Tony, I spoke to you about the consequences of cloning."

"Oh my god, I didn't _clone_ my daughter, Stephen!" Tony wrapped his arms around Marcie in defense. "This is Carolyn's twin, Marcie. She was separated during the divorce, but now that I got Bruce back, I got Marcie back as well."

Marcie shook Stephen's hand with a wider smile. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Strange." 

"Ah, I see. Well, it's a pleasure to meet you as well, Marcie. And it's _Doctor_ Strange."

"Oh, right, sorry."

"So I knew I would be expecting a visit from you all today, but the why is a little fuzzy. So what can I help you with?"

"Well, Tony and I were wondering if you would be able to open a portal for us to Sakaar."

Stephen raised his eyebrows at the couple. "Sakaar? The universe's trash heap?"

"Hey, show some respect to New Jersey," Carolyn said, earning a fist bump from Tony.

"I just can't possibly understand why you would want to go to Sakaar willingly. There's absolutely nothing of value there."

"Look, it's not exactly a place I want to go back to either," Bruce said, "But the Grandmaster sent me a summons for a friendly visit. And the girls and I are off for spring break and Tony's never been, so I thought we could go back for a day trip."

"Ah, yes. The Grandmaster. No one wants to deny a summons from him. But I'm surprised you're coming to me for assistance. I would think you two would be trying to build a...universal teleporter of some kind."

Tony cleared his throat, a blush appearing on his cheeks. "Yeah, we tried that."

"Let's just say we'll leave the portals to you." Marcie shrugged with a grimace.

"Fair enough." Stephen began to move off to the side of the group. "Now I hope you're aware that Sakaar has no easy exit, so I would have to open a portal back for you all. And time works much differently there as well."

"We're way ahead of you, Stephen," Bruce said. "We only plan on being there for a couple of hours their time, so we'd need you to bring us back when that time's up for however long that is here."

"Excellent. I can arrange that. Now stand back."

The group watched as Stephen held up his hands and spun one of them in a circle several times. A flaming gold circle then appeared in the air, revealing blue sky on the other side of it.

Marcie gasped and began moving around it, her mouth agape as she saw how it hovered with no obstructions on either side. "This is incredible!"

"Yeah, he does that," Carolyn said, her tone unphased.

"Alright, girls. Are you ready to go on your first trip to another planet?" Tony asked.

The girls chorused, "Hell _yeah_!"

"Well, let's hop to it."

The group then made their way over to the portal with a cheer while Bruce stayed back for a moment. He waved with a smile and said, "Thanks, Stephen."

"Be careful over there, Bruce."

Bruce's smile faded as he nodded. "I know."

Taking a deep breath, he followed his family into the portal. Stepping inside, he was unable to see the sparks spin back into one another until they were nothing but a small blip in the air, returning the room back to the way it was.


	2. Chapter 2

Carolyn and Marcie stumbled through the portal, the balls of their feet stumbling as they tried to maintain their footing. They looked down and found several pieces of scrap metal littering their path, the material crunching as they took a step.

Carolyn kicked a piece away with a sneer and stuffed her hands into her pockets. "Well, it's not much different from New York."

"How did he do that?" Marcie asked in a breathless tone. "We were standing inside a couple seconds ago, but we're clearly outside now. Did...Did he manipulate the atoms t-to create a hole in the universe or-"

She turned around and jumped when she found no portal behind her, leaving her with a view of a massive landfill underneath a light blue sky.

"Where did it go?" Marcie pointed her finger ahead and moved it slowly, trying to find something to touch in the air. She soon felt Carolyn grab her wrist, making her turn back to see her sister's creased lips.

"Rule number one of hanging out with Doctor Strange, sis: Just accept that what he does is magic and don't question it."

Carolyn then walked ahead to join their fathers' side while Marcie trailed behind with a shrug. Once he felt them beside him, Bruce wrapped his arms around the girls.

"Girls, I'd like to introduce you to Sakaar."

Carolyn and Marcie's mouths dropped open when they saw the city that lay before them. Angular-shaped buildings stood as tall as a Manhattan skyscraper, but the highlight was a palace made of thin spires that towered above them all. Various faces were carved into the walls of it, almost serving as the eyes of the planet watching their citizens' every move.

"Wow," the girls chorused as they watched ships fly over them and around the planet.

Carolyn started, "This place is-"

"-actual garbage," Tony added with a sneer. Turning to Bruce, he added, "You really lived here for two years?"

"Well, it's not like I had a choice. The only way you can come here is if you just happen to wander into its gravitational path."

"So how do you get out if you don't have a portal like we do?" Marcie asked.

"Typically, you don't. But Uncle Thor and I got out through..." Bruce looked around until he spotted a large beam of red smoke spouting out of the sky in the distance. He pointed at it and said, "Ah, there it is. The Devil's Anus."

Everyone in his party laughed, earning a glare from Bruce. Tony cleared his throat.

”I'm sorry. Peter really infected my sense of humor."

Bruce's eyes fell onto the girls, seeing Carolyn hold her hands up in defense.

"We're fourteen. Cut us some slack."

Bruce shook his head. "Anyway, that portal is how you get out of here, but it's near impossible to reach."

"Why are you so worried about leaving, Marcie?" Tony asked. "It's your first time on another planet, and you already want to leave?"

"No, no! I just...want to be prepared, is all."

"Well, let's cross that bridge when we get there, sweetheart. For now, let's have Dad lead the way to where we have to go."

"Thank you, Tony. Alright, guys. Let's go meet the Grandmaster."

Bruce then led his family through the streets of Sakaar, weaving them around the large crowds and various vendors set up along the edges of their path. The sound of loud horns and stringed instruments blared in their ears while people with various types of line patterns painted on their faces talked over them in loud voices.

"So I'm still standing by what I said before. This place is pretty much New York for aliens," Carolyn said as she looked around.

Tony noticed a stand off to the side with steam coming out of it while a Sakaarian cooked pieces of meat on a fryer. "Yeah, even down to the food. I'll be right back."

Bruce turned to watch him leave and shook his head with a smile.

Carolyn noticed another stand on the opposite side and cocked her head when she noticed a mask hanging from one of its posts. A square-shaped face colored green snarled down at her with a black tuft of hair on its head. Carolyn cracked a smirk as she stood upright again.

"Check it out, Dad. This mask kind of looks like Hulk."

Bruce followed her gaze and sighed with a grimace. "Yeah, uh, about that...that _is_ Hulk."

"What?"

"Yeah, there was...a lot of Hulk merchandise around when I was last here. I guess his fame still hasn't died out." Bruce's gaze fell to his right, and he pointed in that direction. "That one is also Hulk."

Carolyn looked over and saw him pointing at Hulk's face carved into the side of the palace. She made a small hum as she placed her hands on her hips with a nod, a smile forming on her face.

"You really made an impression on these people."

"Yeah, in more ways than one."

Carolyn then made her way over to the stand selling the mask and rested her arms on the wooden counter.

"Hey, so, um, here's the deal," she said to a stone-faced vendor wearing a yellow hood and white face paint. "I want to buy that mask, but I don't know how money works here. Is there a specific type of coin we need to have? Is there a barter system? Help a girl out."

The vendor didn't reply, keeping their unreadable expression on her faltering smile

"Okay, I never want to stoop to this level, but maybe you can help a girl out."

Carolyn pointed between the mask and Bruce, never taking her eyes off the vendor as she enunciated her words.

“This guy is also that guy. And that guy is my dad. So I don't know, maybe you can just give it to me as a pass?"

The vendor followed where she pointed and jumped back when they saw Bruce staring at them.

"I-It's him," they said. Raising their voice, they repeated, "It's him! The Champion! He's returned to Sakaar!"

The crowd immediately stopped what they were doing, their heads swiveling around as they mumbled loudly. Tony's head was one of them, his eyes falling onto his family as his cheeks puffed out from the food within them.

"The Champion!" everyone said as they found Bruce's deer-in-headlights expression staring at them.

Once he composed himself, he brought his hand up to his face and made a timid wave. "H-Hey, everybody.” 

"Clear a path for the Champion! The Grandmaster must speak with him at once!” 

The crowd cheered as they moved themselves along the road, giving Bruce and his family ample room to move through the street. The music started up again and played over their shouts, a joyful buzz echoing through the air as a celebration began.

The family started walking down the path, waving at the Sakaarians with each step. After a moment, Bruce's face turned into a glare that he aimed at Carolyn

"Thanks, Carolyn," he said through gritted teeth.

"What? When you show up on another planet, you got to show up with style."

With the cheers leading their way, the Stark-Banners set off for the Sakaarian Palace to meet their host once and for all.


	3. Chapter 3

As her feet pushed themselves towards the towering palace in the distance, Marcie couldn't help but notice the unease on Bruce's face. The enthusiastic welcome from the crowd should have been proof enough that Sakaar was glad to have him back, but he looked like he was marching towards his death.

A feeling of dread began to fill Marcie the more she dwelled on it. Sure, she'd always known that her father had spent two years on an alien planet, but he never told her just what had happened during that time. Maybe a summons from this Grandmaster guy wasn't so great after all.

Before her brain could contemplate every worst-case scenario she could uncover, a word the Sakaarians had said earlier clawed its way into her mind. Marcie raised an eyebrow to herself at its appearance then aimed it at Bruce.

"Dad, why are they all calling you 'the Champion?'" she asked quietly.

Bruce let out a tired sigh, as if the answer pained him to think about. "I guess it was going to come up at some point today. So I bet you think I stayed here for two years for some kind of...intergalactic study abroad program, right?"

Marcie shrugged. "Yeah. I always kind of assumed that."

"That is not why I was here. I accidentally ended up here after the battle with Ultron and was trapped here as Hulk. The Grandmaster kind of...took me under his wing and made me compete in these...glorified gladiator battles. Apparently, I never lost a fight, so I was the long-reigning Champion."

The group then made it to the front of the palace and walked across the threshold, its glass walls shining in the sun. The stone heads looked more massive up close, and their marble jawlines were chiseled so well that they could almost reach up and run their hands over their smooth surface.

An olive-skinned woman wearing a yellow hooded cloak greeted them in the main hall, gesturing her hand out to the side with a smile. "Welcome, Champion. The Grandmaster has been waiting for you. Right this way."

She led them into a glass elevator at the end of the room and pressed her hand on a panel against the wall inside. Lights on the panel scanned it then glowed green, making the door shut before them.

The elevator began to lift up into a slow ascent, giving them a larger view of the Sakaar skyline, mountains of trash surrounding the city, and ocean far beyond the land. Marcie took a deep breath as they began moving, squeezing her eyes shut as she spread her arms out to cling to the bar behind her.

Tony placed his hand over one of hers and asked in a low voice, "Hey, are you okay?"

Marcie swallowed as she made several quick nods.

The reality of the situation hit Tony in an instant. "Oh. Oh god, your...your kinetic thing-"

"Propulsion kinesiophobia," Marcie said in one breath.

"Right, that. Hey, um, alright, it's okay."

Tony wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into his chest, rubbing his hand up and down her forearm. Marcie let out several short breaths and kept her eyes closed, but a sense of ease filled her body as she felt her father's warm touch during the motion.

Carolyn turned to look over at Bruce and said, "Um, I'm still not over the whole reason you were here. So for two years, you had a job as an alien pro wrestler?"

Bruce shrugged with a sneer. "Yeah, I...guess that's what you can call it."

Carolyn let out a laugh. "My dad was a famous wrestler for two years. Man, the more I learn about you, the more I love you." She turned to Tony and pointed at Bruce. "You hear that, Dad? You basically married the galaxy's equivalent to John Cena."

"Eh, he's not my type. I was always more of a Ronda Rousey guy myself."

Bruce fired a glare at his husband. "Wow. I can literally turn into a giant, green, rage monster, and it's still not enough for you."

Tony smirked at him with furrowed brows. "Well, I didn't choose Ronda Rousey, did I? I chose you. If anything, you being this place's champion shows that you're the much better candidate to be my partner. And I love you all the more for it."

"Awwww, Tony."

The two leaned in for a quick kiss then pulled away, gazing into each other's eyes with a smile.

A sharp ding filled the air as the elevator door slid open, revealing a large hall filled with two rows of people all dressed in similar black uniforms with the same two-lined face paint everyone had in the city.

Marcie threw her head back and opened her eyes with a groan. "Thank god." She kept her body close to Tony as they stepped out of the elevator with the others.

They walked past the procession greeting them, staying together in their cleared path. Carolyn tugged on Bruce's hand and walked sideways to keep her eyes on him.

"Hey, Dad. Do you think they have footage of you during those fights here? O-Or maybe you remember some! Come on. Who was your biggest opponent?"

Bruce shrugged. "Sorry. I-I wish I could tell you about them, but that was all Hulk. I don't remember anything from my initial stay here. Uncle Thor swears I wasn't that good, but you know, that's Uncle Thor."

"Ah, yes. The god of embellishments."

Bruce couldn't help but laugh as he wrapped his arm around her with a smile.

The group soon reached the end of the procession, where they stood before a small, white leather chair with blue lining. An olive-skinned man with spiked gray hair sat in it, his gold robe and blue pantsuit shining in the sun streaming in from the glass wall behind them. He clapped his hands with a smile as he stood up, unfurling his arms for them.

"There he is. The Champion's come home."

Bruce gave him a timid wave. "Hey, Grandmaster...s-sir? Your Majesty? Is there, uh, something in particular you want us to call you?"

"Oh, anything's fine. You can call me whatever you want." The Grandmaster threw his arms around Bruce and sighed as he squeezed him in a hug. "Oh, it's good to see you." He pulled away and gripped onto Bruce's forearms. "You look different. Where's the, uh..." He waved his hand around. "Th-The green and the muscles? You're just bones now. Come on."

"Yeah, well, a lot of time has passed for me. We get old on Earth, and I'm not green all the time down there. Thanks for...reminding me." Bruce's smile faltered the longer he stared at him, but he did his best to keep up a polite demeanor.

"Yes, well, we're just glad you're here." The Grandmaster's gaze fell onto the rest of Bruce's family, his face taking on the same expression as his guest's. "Oh. You brought more to the party. I wasn't aware of this."

"Oh, yeah. Well, I have a family now, and we've made sure that we're never going to be apart anymore. So I thought it would be fun if they came along." Bruce wrapped his arm around Tony and gave him a squeeze. "This is my husband, Tony."

"Hey, nice to meet you," Tony said. "I really like all the bright colors you have going on. They emphasize the Willy Wonka vibes your manic energy's giving off. Nice touch."

"I have no idea what you just said, but I heard a compliment in there, so thank you." The Grandmaster smiled at Tony then turned his focus onto the girls.

Bruce said, "Oh, and these are our daughters. This is Carolyn and that's Marcie."

The girls waved at him with pleasant smiles and chorused, "Hi."

"Wow, look at this. You managed to make them look identical. Very nice. Well, they seem like very lovely spawn. I mean, children."

Carolyn and Marcie shook their heads at the comment, turning to glance at each other with furrowed brows.

The Grandmaster made his way over to Bruce's side and lowered his voice as he stood beside him. "So let me ask you something. We can just...keep this between us. Can either of them...you know, do the thing? You know, the green and the muscles and the-" The Grandmaster let out a growl with a playful smirk. "I-It doesn't matter if it's just one, but if they can both do it, that'd be even better."

Bruce sneered at him and took a step back. "No, they can't 'do the thing!' Come on. Cut that out."

"Alright, alright." The Grandmaster chuckled to himself as he turned to the side, snapping his fingers with a pout.

Just then, a black-haired woman in an orange and black bodysuit approached the group and stood beside him. "Sir, the guests are ready to begin," she said in a low voice.

"Oh, yes. Thank you, Citrus." The Grandmaster waved her off then clapped his hands at his guests. "Come, come. Let me show you the main attraction so the fun can really begin."

He then followed Citrus down the hall, leading Bruce and Marcie to do the same. Tony and Carolyn trailed behind, the latter squeezing her father's hand.

"'Willy Wonka.' That was a good one. It was much better than the Winkie Guard comment I had thought of."

"Hey, we could make this a team effort. Willy Winkie Wonka."

"Willy Winkie."

The two then let out a hearty laugh and wrapped their arms around each other, their joy following them as they marched towards what was to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To further elaborate on Marcie’s condition: So there’s no actual term for her specific fear, so I just compiled something that I felt could explain it. Kinesiophobia is the fear of receiving pain from any type of movement, which is obviously not what she has since she moves around just fine. This is why I added “propulsion” in there to say that it’s a specific type of movement she’s afraid of.
> 
> Marcie’s afraid of the motion one feels when going at very fast speeds in one direction. While she isn’t afraid of flying or heights or falling or anything like that, she’s more afraid of the movement one feels when doing those motions, so she tries to avoid them. It’s not really motion sickness either. It’s more like she becomes so paralyzed in fear that she can’t move while enduring it.


	4. Chapter 4

The group wandered through the halls of the Grandmaster's palace for some time, admiring the view they had of Sakaar through the windows that lined its walls. Marcie couldn't help but smile with each step she took, her eyes gazing out at the planet before her.

Quickening her pace to keep up with Carolyn, she said, "You know, when you forget that all those hills out there are just massive piles of garbage, this place is actually kind of pretty."

"I know, right? I bet it looks even cooler at night. Although, nothing beats the view you can get from the roof back home."

"Oh, no way."

"The way you can see all the lights twinkling in the distance over the treetops." Carolyn let out a sigh. "Yeah, that's the best.”

"If anything, we can always convince Dad to get a summer home."

"Oh _man_! A summer home on an alien planet." Carolyn wrapped her arm around Marcie and pulled her into her side, giving her a squeeze. "I like where your head's at, sis."

Further ahead, the Grandmaster led the way for Tony and Bruce, his arms unfurled as he told them a story.

"The fights really haven't been the same since you left us all those years ago. Sure, they're enough t-to get the people excited and let them release a little energy, but you set the bar pretty high, my friend."

"Oh, I don't know about _that_. I'm sure I was good, but I just don't think I was good as you keep saying I was."

"Bruce, come on. Don't sell yourself short." Tony wrapped his arm around Bruce. "I've seen you in action, and you are a lot stronger than you think. In more ways than one, I might add."

Bruce started to chuckle and ran his hand through his hair. "Aw, come on, Tony."

"I mean it."

The two then leaned in for a quick kiss, humming with giddy smiles on their faces. The Grandmaster clearing his throat brought them back to their senses, as they pulled away and continued walking.

Their host said, "So anyway, I thought that I needed to draw in something big in order to get the crowds fired up again. And since no one could ever top the Champion, why not bring him back to boost morale?"

"Oh, well, that's very sweet. I'd love to help with that," Bruce said, a flush of color appearing on his cheek.

"Mm, I knew you would. Everyone's going to love to see you."

"So what do you need me to do? Just talk to the fighters and help train them?"

"Hey, 'give the first intergalactic TED Talk' is on my bucket list. Don't rob that from me," Tony said.

Bruce shrugged with a smirk in response, causing Tony to give him a playful eye roll.

The group soon reached a set of red doors that stretched to the ceiling, prompting the Grandmaster to stop before it. He drew in a breath as he folded his hands, his face curling into a cringe.

"Um, not exactly."

He pried his hands apart and pushed them on the doors, letting them open behind him. He took several steps backwards into the room, prompting the others to follow in his path.

The group found themselves standing inside a massive ballroom with bright colors and techno music echoing off the walls. Sakaarians swarmed about the room to chat with one another but stopped when they saw the new arrivals. The music cut to a halt as well, bringing the room into a dead silence. Everyone held their breath as they stared at their guests, but no one made a move as they stood off.

Before the group could say something, the Sakaarians beat them to it by throwing their arms up with a resounding cheer. The music started back up, and the party grew livelier than ever now that they saw the Champion had arrived.

The Grandmaster threw his arms out and smirked at Bruce, unaware of the unease on his guest's face.

"Oh, you...threw a party for me. How nice," Bruce said, the politeness wavering in his voice.

"Surprise. What better way to let all of Sakaar have a chance with the Champion than a massive party?"

"Yeah, that's...great. Y-You really shouldn't have."

Tony gave Bruce's hand a squeeze and leaned into his ear. "Don't worry. I'll make sure I'm always by your side."

Bruce let out a quiet breath. "Thank you."

"Come on. Come on. The party isn't in the doorway. There's a lot more room in here than out there." The Grandmaster ushered them further into the room, leading them through the throng of Sakaarians trying to get a glimpse of them.

The voices of the adults drowned out in Marcie's ears, only causing her to hear jumbled noise as her eyes wandered around the room. The noise drowned out completely once her feet stood firmly in the center of the room, as her eyes fell on a face on the other side of the room.

There was a boy around her age talking to a Sakaarian, flat blond hair sweeping across his forehead. What stood out to her the most was that he looked human like her. While the Sakaarians seemed to have human qualities, there were certain features such as the face makeup that told Marcie they weren't from Earth. But the boy didn't seem to have any of those features. From his pale face to his full cheeks that gave him a more rounded feature, he looked completely normal. Marcie didn't think there would be another human on Sakaar, but he seemed to be right there.

The boy looked over in her direction and froze as well, his brown eyes taking on the same shock as hers. The two were lost in each other's gaze for a moment, fascinated by the person standing across the room. Marcie didn't know what it was about him, but she couldn't deny the pull in her chest that was attracting her to him.

"Marcie!"

Marcie shook her head, the noise of the party returning to her ears, and looked to the side to see Carolyn running over to her.

Her sister grabbed her hand and said, "There you are! Dude, this guy's got _games_ here. Like arcade type of games."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you got to try them with me. Come on!"

Marcie then let herself be pulled off through the party, the human boy leaving her brain as quickly as he entered it.

~

Tony double-fisted two martini glasses filled with bubbling drinks and thanked the bartender that gave them to him. He turned back and made his way through the party to find Bruce and the Grandmaster sitting in velvet chairs before a window.

Tony held one drink before Bruce and said, "Here's your bubbly."

"Thanks, Tony." Bruce took the drink from him and watched as his husband sat beside him, his arm draping over his shoulder.

As he took a sip of his drink, Bruce asked the Grandmaster, "So how's the, uh, Loki situation? Are you guys still a thing?"

"Oh yes. He comes here every now and then and spends the day here and, uh, the evening as well. We still greatly enjoy each other's company. He's very good to me, if you catch my understanding."

"Good, good. Glad to see things are still good with you guys after what his brother did."

"Yes, there's no hard feelings with Loki and I. We still love each other as we did then."

"Wait, I'm sorry. You're dating _Loki_?" Tony spoke up. "Of all people?"

"Tony, I told you he mellowed out," Bruce said.

"Right, but it's still hard to believe. I mean, he's so...No, you're both actually pretty similar. I don't know what I was thinking. Well, I'm...glad you two are happy together."

The Grandmaster made a sage nod with a smile. "Thank you." He shifted himself to the side and leaned back in his seat, keeping his eyes on Bruce. "So are you enjoying the party?"

"Oh, yeah. It's great. I mean, I-I'm not really a party person, but everything's nice enough. And being here in different circumstances helps me see it in a new light." Bruce turned his gaze onto the window, a bright smile forming on his face. "When you're not, you know, fighting for your life, it's...actually kind of nice here."

"What if you could do that again?"

"Huh?"

"What if I gave you the chance to go back into the arena and fight for us again? Then you could be here whenever you'd like."

Bruce furrowed his brows together. "Are...Are you asking me to be the Champion again?"

The Grandmaster let out a chuckle. "Why do you think I invited you back here?"

Tony found himself choking on his drink, his body lurching forward as he coughed it back down. "Wh-What?"

"This whole day—the summons, the party—this was all to celebrate your permanent return to Sakaar. By accepting, you've placed yourself back in the roster for my Games. I have a lot betting on you, and I'm sure everyone else does too."

"Are you out of your mind?" Bruce asked, his voice rising in volume. "That was years ago! I don't do that thing anymore, dude! I have a real job back home and a family. They're much more important than fighting people day in and day out."

"So...that's a no?"

"Yes, that's a no! God, what the hell, man?"

"Yeah, as cool as it would be to cheer on my husband every day as your personal wrestler, he has better things to be doing on Earth. So thanks but no thanks," Tony said.

The Grandmaster sat up straight and threw up his hands in surrender. "I-I'm very sorry. I...I didn't mean to presume. I just thought you would be happy to return here and serve me once more."

"If I was the Hulk, maybe," Bruce said. "But I'm not. I try not to be, anyway."

"Of course. No, you're definitely not. I understand, my friend."

The Grandmaster then turned his head onto the party behind him, his face curling into a sneer as he tried to contain the fury boiling within.


	5. Chapter 5

The techno music that pounded against the ballroom walls was beginning to grate on Carolyn's ears. It may have been her favorite type of music, but after hearing it for several hours straight, all the beats were beginning to sound the same to her. Even worse, her eyes sagged as she stared at the screen of the pinball-like game she'd been playing since she dragged Marcie over to the corner filled with arcade games.

After winning another game on the machine, Carolyn sighed to herself and stepped away from it. "Alright, guys. The game's all yours," she told a group of Sakaarians watching her from behind.

The crowd let out a disappointed moan as they sagged their shoulders.

"Look, I can only win so many times before I get bored. Knock yourselves out.”

Carolyn maneuvered her way around the other guests in the area until she spotted Marcie sitting on top of a motorcycle planted to the floor, swaying herself from side to side as she stared at a screen above her.

"Yo. Marcie," she said.

Marcie turned one of the handles on the motorcycle, prompting the game to pause and root the bike to the ground once more. She shifted herself to face her sister and asked, "What?"

"I'm bored."

"You're _bored_? But there's a whole bunch of games here and people for you to talk to. Isn't this, like, a dream come true for you?"

"Yeah, it was. But I don't even know how long we've been here."

"Maybe we should find Dads and see how they're feeling."

"Hmm, yeah."

Carolyn looked around the room but could only see the bright colors adorned by the other guests, none of them looking like the clothes her fathers were wearing.

"But where are they?" she said to herself.

As her eyes wandered around, she noticed the set of doors they had entered through were clear of people, giving them a perfect gateway to escape. A smirk appeared on Carolyn's face as she hummed.

When she turned back to Marcie, she said, "I have an even better idea. What if we ditched this place and explored the rest of the palace?"

Marcie cringed. "I-I don't know."

"What's there to not know? We're inside our very first alien palace, and we've only seen maybe two rooms in it. This place is _massive_. There has to be other parts of it that are worth seeing like a weapons gallery or a library for you."

"But shouldn't we tell Dads where we're going?" Marcie pushed herself off the game so she could stand face to face with her sister. "And what about the Grandmaster? Won't he feel threatened if he finds two people he hardly knows snooping around his palace?"

"He's going to be threatened by two fourteen-year-old girls?"

Marcie furrowed her lips together and looked down at her feet with a shrug. "Yeah, you're right."

"Besides, the dude seems like he's literally okay with _anything_ you do. You could be, like, doing drugs in front of him and he wouldn't even bat an eye. Come on, Marcie. Live a little! When's the next time we're going to be able to do this?"

Marcie looked over at the doors off to the side and bit her lip. She didn't want to admit it, but she was beginning to feel a little bored herself. And Carolyn was right. When _was_ the next time they were going to come there? It probably wasn't any time soon, so they might as well make the most of it.

Marcie closed her eyes and made a quiet sigh, turning back to her sister. "Okay. Let's go."

"Yes!"

Carolyn grabbed her hand and pulled her along the ballroom floor, marching them straight towards the doors.

Marcie asked, "But we'll come right back here once we're done, right? I-I don't want Dads to worry if we're gone too long."

"Yeah, sure. We'll be so quick, it'll be like we never left."

The girls reached the ballroom doors without anyone so much as batting an eye at them. Carolyn pushed down on one of the doorknobs and pulled the door towards her, allowing them a narrow opening into the palace halls.

"Come on," she whispered with a wave. She slipped through the doorway and waited for Marcie to do the same.

Once the girls were outside, Carolyn pulled the door shut and stood up straighter. She pointed to her left and said, "Okay, so we already came from this way. So the rest of this place must be..." She shifted herself over to the right and emphasized her point when she saw the remainder of the red and white hallway awaiting them. "This way."

The girls wandered down the hall at an even pace, keeping their eyes vigilant for anything that could catch their interest. While Marcie gazed out the windows, Carolyn stared ahead with a sigh.

"If the Sakaarians love Dad so much, they could have given him a map of this place."

"They must have thought he remembered it."

"Yeah, good point. But they could have thought of our needs."

"They didn't know we were coming, Carolyn."

Carolyn turned back to glare at her sister, her mouth curling into a smirk the longer she stared at Marcie's. Giving her a playful punch in the arm, she said, "Stop one-upping me."

"Hey, I can tell it like it is too, you know."

"Yeah, but you were only supposed to do it when you were pretending to be me. I didn't know I rubbed off on you that much."

The girls turned their gaze ahead once more and found themselves standing at the end of the hall. Before it could intersect into a perpendicular hall, there was a room tucked away into the left corner.

"Hey, I think there's something in here," Carolyn said.

The girls wandered inside and found themselves standing inside a massive bedroom covered in the same red and white pattern that the halls were colored in. Everything in the room was sized for a giant, from the double king-sized bed to the hot spring that took up a quarter of the room.

Carolyn let out a whistle as she stared at it. "Look at this place! Why's the Grandmaster hiding this from us? This room's fit for a king!" She ran over towards the bed and flopped onto it, her muscular form only taking up a small corner of it.

Marcie laughed to herself as she stepped in further. "Or a Hulk."

"Huh?"

"I think this is where Dad stayed when he lived here."

"Really? What makes you say that? This place must have hundreds of rooms he could have used."

"Yeah, but they can't all be this size, can they?"

Carolyn shrugged as she sat up on the bed. Her gaze fell onto a set of towels and a yellow card resting on top of them sitting at the foot of the bed. She picked up the card and opened it to find "Welcome, Champion" written inside in red calligraphy.

"Huh. You might be right. This card's addressed to Dad."

"Huh?" Marcie made her way over and stared at the message inside. "This makes it sound like he was going to stay here. But we weren't planning on spending the night, right? Dad told Doctor Strange to fetch us in a few hours."

"I don't know. But I wouldn't mind staying in this room." Carolyn pushed herself off the bed and made her way back towards the entrance to the room. "Come on. There has to be a weapons gallery around here somewhere."

Marcie followed suit and the two began to turn towards the next hallway. Before they could, they heard the Grandmaster's voice echo from afar, "I just don't know where I went wrong."

The girls gasped and turned to look at each other with wide eyes.

"Over here," Carolyn whispered as she pointed to a shadowy corner.

The two darted over to it and hid for a moment, holding their breath as they waited for the sound of footsteps to grow softer. Once they did, they poked their heads around the corner to see the Grandmaster and Citrus standing inside the bedroom. The Grandmaster tapped his chin and looked down at the floor as he paced while Citrus stood erect with no trace of emotion on her face.

"I mean, I asked him very nicely if he wanted to come back, and he, he shot me down in an instant. I thought he liked it here!" the Grandmaster said.

"It seemed like he did."

"I mean, I prepared a whole room for him and everything. And he just doesn't want it. What do I do, Citrus? I promised Sakaar that they were getting their Champion back. If I tell them I lied, they might...start a riot or something."

"And we can't have that."

"No, you're absolutely right. I have to find a Champion."

The room fell into a silence until the Grandmaster stopped pacing. He snapped his fingers and smiled at Citrus.

"I know. He has those...those two girls with him now. They can be my new Champions. Two Champions for the price of one, wow. That's a bargain deal, don't you think?"

"But sir, the Champion said that they cannot do the thing."

"True, true, he did say that. Okay, so then we don't use both of them. The girl with the...goggle things doesn't have to participate."

Marcie creased her lips together and narrowed her eyes at her mention.

The Grandmaster added, "But the other girl, she looks strong. Yeah, she looks very fit. She could definitely work in the Games."

"Shall I tell the Sakaarians that we have our new Champion?" Citrus asked.

"No, not yet, Citrus. We need to tell the girl herself first."

Carolyn and Marcie's eyes widened, and they turned their gazes onto one another. They pushed themselves back into the corner and tucked themselves into its shadows.

Marcie broke their shocked silence by whispering, "He wants us to stay here forever. W-We can't do that! School starts again in a week!"

"Uh, there is something much more important than school right now, Marcie. The Grandmaster wants me to be a part of his personal WWE. I can't do that! Wrestling isn't one of the sports I do, and the ones I am a part of aren't going to help me out there."

Carolyn held up four fingers to Marcie then put down her ring finger. "Martial arts could potentially work, but that's a completely different skill set from wrestling." She then put down her index finger. "Football might help me in terms of tackling, but other than that, probably not." She put down her middle finger next. “Roller derby might work if I had blades, which I’m betting they don’t sell here.” She finished by putting down her pinky finger, leaving her waving a tight fist at Marcie. "And hockey isn’t going to give me squat! I have nothing, Marcie! He's going to put me in the ring, and I'm going to be killed in my first match!"

Carolyn let out a soft cry as she leaned against the wall. "It's the first time I'm able to use sports in the real world and they let me down."

"Carolyn, focus!" Marcie grabbed her sister's shoulders and took a breath. "We can fix this. We just...have to leave. Yeah, that's it. We just have to find a way off Sakaar before the Grandmaster finds us. Yeah, we'll...we'll go back to the party, find Dads, and tell them-"

"Tell your dads what?" a familiar voice asked behind her.


	6. Chapter 6

Carolyn and Marcie whipped their heads around to find Citrus standing before them, her arms crossed over her chest with a stern glare. The Grandmaster soon joined her side, trying to appear friendly but still holding a sort of power over them in his presence.

Marcie made a nervous chuckle. "Grandmaster! H-Hey."

"What are you girls doing away from the party? I thought you were having fun."

"We were, trust me."

The girls began to back up further down the hall, their bodies growing tense as the Grandmaster and Citrus followed them.

Marcie continued, "Carolyn and I just wanted to see a little more of the palace, is all. But we realized that we never told our dads where we went, so we were just about to head back.”

"Oh, I see. But, uh, you do realize that the party is in the other direction, right?"

"Oh." Carolyn scoffed. "Duh. Yeah, why don't we head on back in that direction, sis?"

"Excellent idea," the Grandmaster said. "While we're at it, there's actually something I'd like to discuss with you."

"Oh, you mean how you plan on extorting me to be a fighter in your Games?"

"Carolyn!" Marcie yanked on her sister's hand and squeezed it, staring at her with wide, panicked eyes.

The Grandmaster and Citrus stopped walking, turning back on their heels to face them. The former said, "So you did hear us."

"Yeah, I did," Carolyn said. "And I'm not happy. Look, I don't know what the rules are here, but where we're from, I'm a minor. I haven't even started high school yet! So if you think you can make me work for you, fat chance because that's illegal.

”And even if I did want to fight for you—which I don't—I wouldn't do it. Because you, sir, are just plain creepy. You just want to use my family for your own entertainment, and that is not what we're here for. We are just living our lives and trying to not get involved with every alien that comes to our door. So back. Off!"

The group all stared at Carolyn in stiff silence, watching her face grow red and her breathing heavy as she clenched her fists at her opponent. The Grandmaster's face was unreadable as he watched her, but there was a certain mischievous sparkle in his eyes. The corners of his mouth curled up as he turned to face Citrus.

"Did you see that? She has some fire in her. Wow. I dig it. I dig it a lot. She is going to be very promising in the arena."

Carolyn threw out her arms with a scoff. "Did you even listen to a word I said?"

"Oh, I did. But I can't say that I'm a fan. No, I didn't love it. So here's what we're going to do. Why don't you come back with me to the party so we can discuss this one-on-one, huh? So there's no outside influences."

Carolyn watched the Grandmaster reach out his hand to her and felt her eyes dart around the hall for an exit. She saw a circular panel on the wall beside her head that she recognized as a pin pad for the elevator.

Giving the Grandmaster a quick glance, she grabbed his wrist and thrust his hand onto the panel, causing him to punch it with a thud. The Grandmaster yelled as he pulled his hand back, pain searing through it that made it numb.

The blow caused the elevator door to open behind the girls, giving them an open entry for escape. Carolyn grabbed Marcie's hand and pulled her inside, helping her to the rail against the back of it. Carolyn pushed the topmost button on the panel inside and watched as the door shut before her to seal them inside.

The Grandmaster turned to Citrus and said, "Bring in reinforcements. Tell them to man every sector."

"Yes, sir."

The Grandmaster began to head down the hall, still stretching out his hand. "Wow, she really got me. Ow."

~

Marcie resumed her stance against the back of the elevator, struggling to keep her eyes open as she tilted her head back in heavy breaths.

"Where are we going?" she asked Carolyn through a gulp.

"I honestly have no idea. These stupid buttons aren't labeled." Carolyn winced at her sister. "Sorry I made us get back in the elevator. It was kind of fight-or-flight back there."

"It's fine, it's fine, it's fine, really." Marcie let out a deep breath. "Wh-What's the plan exactly?"

"As of right now, hide out in whatever room this takes us to until we're in the clear. Then we find Dads, tell them what happened, then get the hell off this planet."

Marcie made several quick nods as she closed her eyes.

The elevator door then slid open, revealing a vast circular room colored teal. The girls stepped out to find it filled with various kinds of aircraft standing up on platforms placed before long halls that stretched out.

Carolyn made an excited chuckle as she placed her hands on her hips, her eyes wandering around the room. "This guy is _loaded_!"

"I don't even think we have this many vehicles at home."

"Okay, new plan. We hop in one of these bad boys, fly the hell off this planet, and get back to Earth."

"And leave Dads behind?"

Carolyn made a weak groan. "I know. I don't want to leave them either. B-But once we're home, we'll go find Stephen, tell him what happened, and he can make a portal that we can rescue them through."

"Okay..." Marcie nodded to herself, a smile forming on her face. "Okay, yeah. That could work."

"See? I knew you'd get it. Come on."

Carolyn led her sister over to a sleek blue and gray jet on their left before Marcie pulled her back.

"Wait. Does it have to be a spaceship? I-I don't think I can handle three anxiety attacks in one day."

"Look, I'm sorry, but we don't really have a choice. Do you see any cars that we can just drive through this place?"

Marcie sighed. "No."

"Exactly. Come on."

The girls ran over to its hangar door on the side and climbed inside, finding two seats near the front window that stood before a dashboard covered in buttons. Carolyn climbed into the seat on the left and buckled the X-shaped seatbelt over herself.

"No offense, Marcie, but I think I'll drive this thing."

"Hey, be my guest." Marcie sighed as she buckled herself in. "Do you even know how to drive, though? You've never even driven a car."

"No, but I've watched Dad enough times to get the basics down. But I could appreciate your help while I do this, though. You do all those arcade racing games, so you might know a thing or two."

"Yeah, sure. If I haven't been killed by the momentum that propels us through the sk-"

Marcie didn't get time to finish, as Carolyn clenched her hand over a lever on her right and thrust it forward.

The jet roared to life and lifted into the air. The wheels retracted and the turbines thrust forward, sending the jet shooting through the tunnel adjacent to them.

Marcie gripped onto the arms of her chair and stared ahead, a loud scream escaping her mouth as she felt her body being pinned to her seat. Carolyn screamed as well, but hers was out of joy for the thrill.

The back of the tunnel opened up for them, allowing them to fly out of the palace and over the city.

"Now we're talking!" Carolyn said. She grabbed onto an arch-shaped steering wheel before her and kept her grip on it as they flew ahead.

Marcie's scream dissolved into heavy pants, but she kept her hands squeezed over the seat.

"Okay. Now how do we get out of here?" Carolyn asked.

"Dad...s-said...there was...a-a portal."

"Oh yeah." Carolyn laughed to herself. "The Devil's Anus."

She looked around at the clear view ahead of her and saw the large red funnel shooting down from the sky. "There you are. Okay, Marcie. Help a girl out."

"Turn...the wheel...right."

"That easy, huh?" Carolyn shrugged. "Works for me."

She turned the wheel to the right, and the jet veered off in that direction. They weren't able to fly in that direction for long, as a loud beeping on the radar before them began to sound through the jet.

Carolyn looked at it and saw several dots flying towards them from behind. She groaned.

"You got to be kidding me! He sent in backup!"

Sure enough, several of the Grandmaster's Scavengers were flying after them in their own jets, their vehicles gaining speed behind them.

"We're going to die!" Marcie yelled in a strained voice.

"No, we're not! We're...We're just going to fly in a circle until we lose them."

" _That's_ your plan?"

"Can you think of one right now?"

"I can't think of anything right now besides how terrified I am!"

"Exactly. We're doing it."

Carolyn thrust the wheel to the right and swung the jet around, flying past the Scavengers in their path. They swung past a window of the palace in their spin, using the building as a beacon for their turnaround.

Unbeknownst to them, Tony and Bruce were standing by the window they flew past, the faint chatter of the panicked Sakaarians in their ears as the Grandmaster told everyone, "There are vicious fugitives on our planet trying to escape! Quick! Move out while you can!"

Tony and Bruce's eyes widened when they caught a glance of who was inside the jet, remaining still in their place.

"Was that our daughters flying an alien aircraft?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was."

Carolyn let out a triumphant laugh as they flew ahead. "I think we lost them."

"Y-Yeah," Marcie said as she looked down at the radar. "They're r-really far back."

A loud _whizz_ echoed through the air, bringing Carolyn to see a large firecracker shoot underneath the jet and fly ahead. It collided into a nearby skyscraper, causing it to explode and crumble to the ground.

"They're _shooting_ at us?"

"Oh, even better."

"Marcie, can you look at the radar and keep track of their guns so you can tell me where to fly?"

"S-Sure." Marcie willed herself to look at the radar and saw a dot fast approaching them on their left.

"Right!"

Carolyn veered to the right and watched as the blast flew past them. Marcie continued shouting directions at her sister, allowing them to fly around Sakaar unharmed

"Left! Right! Right!"

As Carolyn flew ahead, she caught sight of the Devil's Anus up ahead and pulled the wheel towards her to fly forward.

"And we are home free," she mumbled.

Unfortunately, she didn't hear Marcie's frantic cry in time of, "Left, left, left!"

"What?"

A firecracker collided with one of the jet's engines, causing the vehicle to thump and tilt downwards. Carolyn tried to pull the wheel up but found that she had lost all of the ship's controls.

With nowhere left to go, the girls let out a sharp scream as the jet careened downward and landed in one of the massive garbage piles that called Sakaar home.


	7. Chapter 7

Bruce pushed open the ballroom doors and stormed out, sweat beginning to bead down his face. "How did we lose them?" he said to himself. "How the hell could we have lost them, Tony?"

"We gave them free range, that's how. Giving Carolyn free range is always a bad idea."

"Why weren't we keeping an eye on them? We already lost them once and that lasted years! W-We can't lose them again, Tony. Not after we built everything back up for us."

"Bruce, listen-"

"But here we are with us partying like animals while our daughters are flying a freaking spaceship!" Bruce gripped onto Tony's shoulders and gave him a small shake, his face turning a light shade of green. _"Why are our daughters flying a spaceship_?"

"Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa." Tony cupped his hand over Bruce's cheek and ran his thumb over it, guiding Bruce to turn his complexion back into a healthy color. "Easy, big guy. You don't want to let him come out and feed the Grandmaster's fire, right?"

Bruce closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. "No. I...I'm good, I'm good. Thanks, Tony."

"Hey, it's what I do. Listen, I know he's not ideally who we want to talk to right now, but I think we need to find the Grandmaster and ask him to keep an eye out for the girls while they search for these...fugitives."

"Yeah. Yeah, he can arrange that. Yeah, let's go find him. W-We're not going to tell him that they took one of his ships, right?"

"Yeah, we'll keep that between us. Come on, babe."

Tony grabbed onto Bruce's hand and led him through the clamoring crowd of confused party guests. Shoving their way towards the front, they bumped into several Sakaarians and earned shocked and nasty looks from them.

"'Scuse us. Pardon me. Champion and his trophy husband coming through. We're trying to meet his Grandness," Tony said with each person they moved past.

Bruce added, "Sorry. I'm so sorry. You'll have to excuse us. Wait, did you just call yourself my trophy husband?"

"Well, on here, that's what I am, aren't I?"

"Now's not the time to be self-deprecating, Tony. Besides, that's my area of expertise."

The two soon pushed themselves to the front of the hall and found the Grandmaster leading the way, occasionally turning back to address his subjects.

"There's no need to panic too terribly, everyone. The Scavengers have already been sent out to take care of the fugitives. We just want to spread out so there is less of a risk of danger should they try to attack here. Everything's going to be just fine."

"Grandmaster!" Bruce said.

The Grandmaster stopped and looked back to smile at who joined his side.

"Ah, Champion and his husband!"

"Told you," Tony said as he bumped into Bruce's shoulder.

"I'm glad to see you made it out alive. I didn't doubt it at all though, given your massive strength."

Bruce tried not to take note of how the Grandmaster gazed at his arms in a trance then shook his head and focused on his eyes.

"Look, our daughters slipped out of the party at some point, and we haven't been able to find them in all of these people."

The Grandmaster let out a tiny gasp, his hand flying to his chest. "Oh, that's terrible. Hopefully, those fugitives haven't found them and done something horrible to them."

Bruce turned to the side and let out a pained moan.

Tony glared at the Grandmaster for a moment. "Thanks for that. Anyway, can you maybe, like...I don't know how things work around here, but could you send out a message telling people to look out for them too?"

"Certainly. The family of the Champion is our family as well."

Bruce sighed in relief. "Thanks. We appreciate it."

"Speaking of those girls, back on your planet, they're not...doing anything important, are they? They're still young, so they have plenty of time to make a career for themselves, right?"

"Oh, come on, man!" Tony said.

"What?"

"Like hell am I going to let you extort my daughters for your Games! Bruce isn't doing it, I'm not doing it, and my daughters certainly aren't doing it. So do us a favor and get off it! Come on, Bruce."

Holding onto Bruce's hand once more, Tony led him past the Grandmaster and ahead of the Sakaarians, allowing them to be alone as they headed towards the elevators first.

"Tony," Bruce said as he stumbled, "Tony, where are we going?"

"Screw that Grand Asshole. We're finding our daughters ourselves."

~

Carolyn coughed as she pushed herself out from under the jet, waving her hand to clear the dust that had formed from the crash. Shaking her head, she took to her feet and let out a breath.

"Maybe Dad was onto something by not letting me drive until I'm sixteen."

Carolyn whipped her head around when she heard deep breaths coming from underneath the jet. "Marcie!"

She ran around to the other side and crawled onto the dirt floor, pushing herself underneath. She saw Marcie doing the same in the opposite direction and reached her hand out to her.

Marcie took it and let her sister pull her out into the open air. She took one long breath then pushed herself back to her feet. Glaring at Carolyn, she said with an accusatory point, "That is the last time I drive _anywhere_ with you for a long time."

"Noted. I kind of deserve that."

Carolyn placed her hands on her hips and looked around the area they had landed in. There was nothing but mountains of scrap metal and other odd items from throughout the galaxy surrounding them on every sight, the mounds obscuring their view of the main city and the palace.

"Now where the hell are we?"

"We're not up the Devil's Anus, that's for sure."

Carolyn let out a low chuckle. "See, this is when I like rubbing off on you."

"Wh-Where's the palace? Where's the rest of Sakaar even?"

"Hell if I knew. At this rate, I think we just need to walk in one direction and see where it takes us. Maybe one of these mountains will be short enough for us to stand on so we can get a better look."

"Good idea. I wish our phone compasses could work on here. That could have helped us too."

"Our phones have compasses?"

Marcie smiled to herself and rolled her eyes. She took a quick breath then pressed her index fingers together, pointing them out and moving them around.

"Okay, I'm just using my instincts here. North feels like it's..." She shifted herself towards the left and emphasized her point. "This way."

The girls then walked ahead and moved about the landfill, pushing aside pieces of scrap metal and other pieces of trash they encountered in their path. After a long period of silence between them, Carolyn broke it as she led the way.

"You know, there's something that the Grandmaster said earlier that's kind of been sticking with me. Why _can't_ either of us do the thing?"

"Huh?"

"You know, Hulk out like Dad can. You'd think with his genes being...you know, his genes that one of us would have inherited the Hulk trait, right?"

Marcie shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it skips a generation."

Carolyn scoffed and gave her sister a sneer. "Turning into a green rage monster skips a generation? Please. I mean, don't all the stories go that kids think they're normal for the first twelve years then inherit magical powers and become the chosen one when they turn thirteen? Why didn't that happen to us yet?"

"Sometimes, it doesn't happen until they're sixteen."

Carolyn threw her head back and groaned. "So we have to wait two more years until we can find out if we have powers or not? Lame."

A loud battle cry rang out through the area, causing the girls to trip and stumble into each other. Sitting on the ground, they wrapped their arms around each other and shivered as they saw a group of Sakaarians pop out from behind the surrounding mountains. They were all covered head to toe in tattered rags, their colors fading from the linen material. Most of them wore painted masks that almost resembled tiki masks, but one took off his mask to reveal a face entirely painted white.

"Are you fighters or food?" he asked.

Carolyn said, "Which one doesn't get us killed?"

The Sakaarians turned to one another and shrugged. Their leader faced the girls and let a dark smirk appear on his face.

"Neither, really."

The group let out a deep laugh and began to stalk towards the girls. Carolyn and Marcie tried to push themselves back while the latter held out her hand.

"Please don't hurt us. W-We're just trying to find the palace. We just want to find our dads and go home."

"We're the Champion's kids!" Carolyn quickly shouted.

A chorus of awe resounded from the Sakaarians, their eyes lighting up at the name.

"The Champion's children, huh?" their leader asked. "Show us what you can do. Then, maybe we'll help you."

Carolyn and Marcie nodded to each other then darted behind the nearest garbage pile.

The latter whispered, "What are we going to do? We can't fight!"

"Well, I kind of can. I can just show them my martial arts moves."

"I don't think they'll appreciate you trying to attack them when we want them to help us."

Carolyn shrugged with a hum. "Good point." An idea then popped into her head, making her eyes widen. "I got it. Go stand behind that other mountain."

"Why?"

"Just do it!"

Marcie shook her head then darted behind the pile across from her sister. Carolyn rifled through her pocket and pulled out her phone, opening up her music app.

"They say music is universal, right?" she mumbled.

With one click, she hit play on Electric Light Orchestra's "All Over The World" and heard the opening noise of crowd mumbling meld with the Sakaarians'. Jeff Lynne's call of "One, two, three, four!" silenced the group, making them look towards the two piles ahead of them as the opening notes played.

Carolyn looked around her pile and spotted a microphone sticking out of it towards the bottom. She pulled it out and grabbed it in her hand, finding it had a cord attached to it. The cord banged against a piece of metal as it came out, the noise playing in time with the song's two pounding drum beats.

Carolyn tucked her phone back into her pocket and let the music playing out, singing along with the opening vocalization into the microphone. She smirked at the Sakaarians as she stepped away from the pile, singing her heart out alongside the song.

She twirled the microphone cord through her fingers as she sang, incorporating it into her routine as she danced before them.

” _Everybody all around the world,_

_Gotta tell you what I just heard._

_There’s gonna be a party all over the world._

_I got a message on the radio._

_But where it came from, I don’t really know._

_And I heard these voices calling all over the world._

_All over the world,_

_Everybody got the word._

_Everybody everywhere is gonna feel tonight.”_

Growing antsy, Marcie spotted a microphone in her pile as well and pulled it out. It didn't have a cord like Carolyn's, but it still looked stable enough for her to perform with.

She timidly stepped out from behind her pile and held the microphone up to her face, singing the second verse but standing stiff as a post. The more she sang, the more she got into the song, allowing herself to throw in some hip pops, sways, and the occasional spin.

” _Everybody walking down the street,_

_Everybody moving to the beat,_

_They’re gonna get hot down in the U.S.A.”_

Carolyn: “ _New York, Detroit, L.A.”_

Marcie: “ _We’re gonna take a trip across the sea._

_Everybody come along with me._

_We’re gonna hit the night down in gay Paris.”_

Carolyn: “ _C’est la vie, having your cup of tea.”_

Marcie: “ _All over the world,_

_Everybody got the word._

_Everybody everywhere is gonna feel tonight.”_

Standing next to each other, Carolyn and Marcie pounded their feet to the beat of the song. The Sakaarians joined in on the fun as well, as they clapped to the beat with bright smiles on their faces. As the tempo grew faster, so did their steps. The Sakaarians finished it out by clapping along to the two drum beats.

As the song entered the bridge, Carolyn and Marcie sang along to it while hopping up and down, pumping their arms to urge the Sakaarians to do the same.

” _London, Hamburg, Paris, Rome,_

_Rio Hong Kong, Tokyo.”_

The sound of Scavanger ships flying overhead sent Carolyn and Marcie back behind their piles to hide, but they finished out the verse nonetheless with bright smiles.

” _L.A., New York, Amsterdam,_

_Monte Carlo, Shard End, and”_

When the ship was gone, Carolyn and Marcie ran back out to the center and pressed their backs against one another. They moved themselves up and down as they sang the chorus, flashing a smirk at one another as they got into the song.

” _All over the world,_

_Everybody got the word._

_Everybody everywhere is gonna feel tonight.”_

The two soon pressed apart from each other and finished out the song with synchronized dances and poses, keeping the Sakaarians up on their feet to dance as well.

” _Everybody all around the world,_

_Gotta tell you what I just heard._

_Everybody walking down the street,_

_I know a place where we all can meet._

_Everybody gonna have a good time._

_Everybody will shine ‘till the daylight._

_All over the world,_

_Everybody got the word._

_Everybody everywhere is gonna feel tonight._

_All over the world,_

_Everybody got the word._

_All over the world,_

_Everybody got the word._

_All over the world,_

_Everybody got the word.”_

Carolyn and Marcie joined hands and bowed as the Sakaarians applauded them with riotous cheers.

"Thank you. Thank you. You're too kind," Carolyn said with a wave.

The leader of the group said, "That was wonderful! You are not fighters or food. You are performers!"

Carolyn and Marcie exchanged a glance before nodding at the group.

"Yes. Tha-That's what we are," the former said.

Marcie added, "We're performers. And our...next stop on our tour...is Sakaar! Yeah, w-we're supposed to go to the palace, but we're so lost."

"Not to worry. We shall take you there in our ship. It would be much too far for you to walk."

Carolyn let out a breath. "Thanks, man. We appreciate it."

Marcie trailed behind the others as they walked ahead, mumbling, "Oh yay. Another spaceship."

The girls followed the Sakaarians into a gray rectangular ship with circular doors parked nearby. Once inside, the ship lifted up from the dirt and took off towards the main city.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s the link to the song Carolyn and Marcie sing:
> 
> “All Over The World”-Electric Light Orchestra: https://youtu.be/X3N9SVfs0jg


	8. Chapter 8

Tony and Bruce's heads whipped around the bustling streets of the city, their bodies jostled by the masses of people surrounding them.

"Carolyn! Marcie! Girls!" Tony shouted, his hands cupped around his mouth.

His voice was drowned out by the louder voices around him, but he kept calling their names in the hopes they would hear. He tried to ignore the sweat dripping down his brow or how ragged his breathing was getting, occasionally taking a deep inhale to clear his head and start again.

With his phone in his hand, Bruce walked over to a Sakaarian and held it up to them. "Excuse me," he said, "Have you happened to see these two girls around?"

The phone displayed a picture of Carolyn and Marcie sitting together under a massive Christmas tree, their smiling faces pressed cheek to cheek with one another.

The Sakaarian stared at it for a moment then looked up at Bruce. "They have the same face?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. They're, uh, they're twins."

"Ah, I see."

"Have you seen them at all?"

The Sakaarian shook her head with a scrunched lip. "No, I haven't. I'm sorry."

Bruce tried to hide how tired his voice sounded. "That's okay. Thanks anyway." With a sigh, he tucked his phone back into his pocket and walked back to Tony's side. "Nobody's seen them."

"I haven't either. You'd think someone on this godforsaken planet would have seen two human girls sticking out like sore thumbs somewhere."

"I-It's a big place, Tony. But they couldn't have gone far, right?"

"I hope not. This would be so much easier if I had a suit. Of course I left them at home thinking this was going to be a relaxing day trip. God, I'm stupid."

"Hey, come on." Bruce wrapped his arm around him and gave him a squeeze. "Don't beat yourself up over this. We just weren't thinking about what they might think of being in a new place like this."

Tony gave him a small smile and sighed. "Yeah, you're right, babe. It's just hard, you know? I already lost one of these girls. I can't lose her again _and_ her sister."

"I know. I feel the same way. But we're going to find them. We're...freaking Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. If we can't find them, then we're pretty bad heroes."

Tony managed to let out a chuckle before sighing again. "So what do we do once we find them? Do we...Do we hug them? Ground them? Ground them _after_ we hug them?"

"Tony."

"Is grounding too harsh? I feel like I'd be stooping to my dad's level if we grounded them, but I don't want them to get off easy if it doesn't feel like they should."

"Tony."

"Yeah, you're right. We'll just wait and see what the situation calls for once we find them."

"Tony." Bruce gave his husband a small shake.

"Agh, what?"

Bruce pointed upward with a blank stare. "I think I found the girls."

Tony followed his gaze and felt himself settle into the same wide-eyed glance. A holographic image of Carolyn and Marcie's faces was projected in the sky above Sakaar along with letters written underneath that glowed like bright red neon that said, "Wanted."

" _They're_ the alien fugitives?" Tony asked.

"God, what did they do?"

"Okay, that settles that. Ground them after we hug them." Tony shook his head as he let out a breath. As he walked off, he called louder, "Carolyn!"

"Marcie!" Bruce added as he kept pace with them.

Their calls resounded throughout the city, hoping they could hear their girls' voices somewhere in its streets.

~

The Sakaarians' ship hovered over the boundary between the landfill and the city as its twin engines twisted vertically. It lowered itself into a descent with a loud roar, touching down before the city and settling into the dirt. Its doors slid open to reveal Carolyn and Marcie standing before it, the former looking ahead with a smile while her sister staggered on her feet.

"Thanks again for the lift, Drako!" Carolyn called behind her with a wave.

The leader of the group waved back alongside the rest of his party. "Of course! Do you need us to escort you to the palace?"

"Nah, we'll find it. I kind of remember where it was." Carolyn took Marcie's hand in hers and led her across the threshold, planting their feet back on solid ground. She turned back and waved one last time, saying, "Bye, guys!"

The Sakaarians let out a chorus of goodbyes as their ship's door shut before them. As the ship lifted back up into the air, Carolyn let out a breath.

"They were actually pretty cool. Music really does have the power to bring people together. Who knew there were other ELO fans in the galaxy?"

"Can you promise me that that was the _last_ spaceship we take a ride in today?" Marcie said with an edge.

"See, I would, but with the way this day is going, I really can't be sure."

Marcie sighed. "Fair enough."

The two set foot into the bustling city once more, looking around at the vendors and citizens that surrounded them.

Trying to weave her way through the growing crowds, Marcie said, "It's kind of hard to see any sign of the palace. Do you-" She grunted as she collided with someone. "I'm so sorry." She turned back to Carolyn and added, "Do you have an idea on where it is?"

Carolyn stopped walking and placed her hands on her hips, letting out a breath. "Honestly, no. I was just kind of going on a hunch."

Her eyes wandered around the area until they settled on a Hulk mask dangling from a vendor. They began to sparkle in the midday light, causing a smile to grow on her face.

"I got it."

"Really?"

"Mmhm."

"W-What is it?"

"The same thing we did before: Wear our status with pride." Carolyn stepped on top of a crate and cupped her hands around her mouth. "HEY! If I could have everyone's attention, please!"

A lull began to fall over the crowd, making every eye turn onto them. Marcie grabbed Carolyn's hand and pulled on it several times.

"What are you doing? Get down!" she loudly whispered.

Carolyn ignored her, instead gesturing to herself and Marcie as she shouted over the crowd. "If you haven't heard already, we are the Champion's children. This is our first time on your lovely home, and we've gotten a little lost from the palace. So if you could all just clear a path for us that will lead us there, it would be really appreciated. I'm sure our father will show you many thanks for this kind act."

No one moved an inch in the crowd, instead keeping a firm gaze on both girls. It wasn't long before a vendor almost jumped in the air and pointed their finger at them, saying, "It's the alien fugitives!"

Every inch of confidence left Carolyn as her face paled and her body went cold. "The what?"

"Seize them!"

The Sakaarians let out a roar as they charged after them, some wielding dark-colored spears over their heads.

"Run, run!" Carolyn said as she jumped off the crate.

Marcie followed in her footsteps and charged after her along the street, trying to block out the crowd from her ears. The two darted into a nearby alleyway and kept running, keeping their eyes straight ahead.

"What happened to our warm reception? We were a hit earlier!" Carolyn said.

"The Grandmaster must have opened his big mouth and convinced everyone we were a danger since you refused to fight for him."

Carolyn let out an annoyed breath. "Wonderful."

The two tried to keep up pace as they entered new alleys and corners they hadn't explored before. They weaved past every person that blocked their way and jumped over empty crates that were tossed aside. Marcie took a quick glance behind them and yelped when she saw how close their pursuers were to them.

"They're gaining!" she told Carolyn.

"Not for long!"

Carolyn looked around and saw a wall of wood logs lined up alongside a nearby building. The wall was boarded up by two longer blocks of wood in the shape of an X. Carolyn ran over to it, grabbed the two pieces and yanked them down.

The logs toppled onto the streets and littered the path behind them, some even knocking into Sakaarians. Most of all, they blockaded the mob from chasing them any further, as they stumbled to the ground or couldn't move past them.

Marcie watched the scene and let out a laugh. "Nice!"

"Thank you. Come on. Down here." Carolyn led her sister into another alley and took up chase once more, keeping her pace steady in the dark. "I think we're in the clear for no-"

The girls were met with a blow to their faces that sent them crashing to the ground. They groaned in unison as they pushed themselves up, sitting on the dirt beneath them.

As they shook their heads to clear out the dizziness, a familiar voice asked, "Girls?"

Carolyn and Marcie looked up and grinned from ear to ear when they saw who they saw crashed into. "Dads!"

Their energy returned, they shot up to their feet and embraced Tony and Bruce in a tight hug, the two men doing the same to them.

"Oh my god, we've been looking everywhere for you," Tony said in a breathless voice.

Bruce added, "Thank god you're alright."

"Wh-Why aren't you at the palace?" Marcie asked.

"The Grandmaster cleared everybody out when there was talk of alien fugitives."

The two men gave their daughters a knowing glance, their eyebrows raised with a stern expression.

Tony asked, "Care to explain?"

"W-We would, but we don't have a lot of time," Carolyn said. "Look, we need to contact Stephen somehow and get him to open the portal back home _now_."

"I couldn't agree with you more, but I just want to know _why_ , Carolyn."

"Because Marcie and I overheard the Grandmaster talking, and he wants to use me to-"

Every inch of Carolyn's body felt like it was on fire as electricity coursed through her, making her jolt in place. Once it died down, her feet caved from underneath her and sent her careening to the ground. The last thing she heard before she blacked out was Marcie's voice screaming out her name in terror.


	9. Chapter 9

Carolyn jolted awake when she finally came to, her breathing heavy as she sat up on the floor. Her head whipped around the area to find that she was no longer outside in the city. She was sitting in a narrow, curved room covered in grimy gold and black walls. There was no sign of her family anywhere, but there was a bulky, turtle-like figure sitting against the wall several feet away, his body covered in puke green scales.

Panting, Carolyn pushed herself over and sat before him, keeping a steady gaze on his face. "Hey. Hi. Um, could you tell me where I am?"

The turtle looked down at her and scoffed. "Newbie, huh?" he said in a deep voice. "Welcome to your new quarters. Now that you're fighting for the Grandmaster, this is where you live until he wants to put you out on the field."

Carolyn lurched back towards the wall behind her. "No way. I told the Grandmaster I'm not fighting for him. I...I was just with my family, and we were going to make sure this wouldn't happen. I can't fight for him."

"Tell that to your neck, kid."

"My neck?" Carolyn's hand went up to her neck and stopped when she felt a bumpy metal orb on her neck. Tugging on it, she asked, "What the hell is on my neck?"

"A zapper. It keeps you under control if you try to escape or rebel. You learn that the hard way."

"Well, I want it to come of-"

Carolyn pushed a button on it and felt electricity course through her again, making her jerk against the wall for a few seconds. Once she stopped, she took a deep breath and glared up at the turtle.

"Told you," he said as he shook his head. "Newbies never learn."

Carolyn placed her hands on the floor and panted, trying to fight her tears from falling over her cheeks.

Before her heart could sink into her stomach, a black door against the turtle's wall slid open, revealing an armored figure wielding an electrified spear. He pointed it at Carolyn and said, "Champion's Spawn, it's time for your battle."

Carolyn gulped up at him then turned to the turtle, who only replied with a shrug.

"You just got to do what he says, kid. It's your time."

Clenching her hands into fists, Carolyn pushed herself up to her feet and followed the guard out the door. Once the door slid shut, the turtle settled back against the wall.

"Yup. Never seeing her again."

~

A fleet of guards shoved Tony, Bruce, and Marcie into a golden room filled with several Sakaarians and a sole green couch in the center. One wall was made entirely of a sheet of glass that overlooked the coliseum, where the anxious cheers of Sakaarians were already resounding through the air.

The Grandmaster turned himself around on the couch and smiled when he saw them entering. "Ah, you made it!" he said as he took to his feet. "Wonderful, wonderful. It's not every day you get to see your children in their first gladiator battle."

"Yeah, this is exactly what I want for my kid: Watch her get blown and battered around in a coliseum to the point that she might get killed," Bruce said with an edge in his voice.

Clinging to Tony, Marcie looked between her fathers before turning to the Grandmaster. Panic rising in her voice, she asked, "You mean she could _die_ out there?" 

"Well, if she's anything like your father here, then we have nothing to worry about. Now come sit. The fight's about to begin."

The Grandmaster began to sit back down on one end of the couch while the guards pushed the family over to the other.

Once he sat, Tony said, "Look, maybe we can reason with you somehow about this. Can't you just...call this whole thing off so we can talk about this civilly? You like to talk, I know that. Maybe we can figure this out on an even playing field."

"No, no can do. The fighters have already been called to their stations. Your daughter's probably geared up already and waiting by the door."

Just then, a holographic image of the Grandmaster appeared over the coliseum, prompting the crowd's cheers to grow louder. The real Grandmaster sat back in his seat with a smirk and pointed at it.

"Oh, look at that. We're starting now. Just in time too."

"Wow, look at this crowd. We're all pretty excited for tonight's fight. I know I am," the holographic Grandmaster said to the crowd. "So let's get this battle started. Making her first appearance tonight, she comes from a line that's sure to bring the house down. Her father was a friend of mine, and she's following in his footsteps. I give you...the Champion's Spawn!"

A door on one end of the coliseum opened up to the sound of cheers, revealing Carolyn to their riots. Carolyn timidly looked around as she clutched a spear twice the size of her to her chest. She noticed the powered green smoke pouring down from their seats and falling over the blue and red battleground, causing her to make a large gulp with the feeling of the weight of the world on her shoulders.

While she walked forward, the holographic Grandmaster continued, "And in this corner, he packs a punch, has a mighty roar, and head butts like a king. Give it up for Fang!"

Carolyn watched as the door opposite her opened up, revealing a pig-like figure with large tusks stomping out onto the grounds. He let out a sharp growl as he stood in the spotlight, making the crowd's cheers grow louder.

Carolyn felt herself stagger back as she felt the wind from his roar hit her, causing a wince to appear on her face. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

"Oh, honey," Bruce whispered as he reached out his hand to her.

Marcie began to rapidly shake her head, her breathing growing ragged. "She's not going to make it. We have to get her out of there!" She took to her feet and turned to run out of the room.

Tony turned around and tried to grab at her, calling, "Marcie!"

Before she could reach the door, several guards blocked her path and grabbed at her, holding her back from any movement. Marcie tried to wriggle free, but their grip was too tight on her, keeping her locked in place.

"Hey, stop! Let me go!" she said with each struggle.

Tony and Bruce tried to stand up but were stopped by the Grandmaster clicking his tongue and pointing his finger down, making them take their seats and helplessly watch their daughters struggle.

As she winced with each tug she made, Marcie forced herself to shout, "CAROLYN!"

Her call traveled down to Carolyn on the battlefield, her head swiveling around to find the source. "Marcie?"

When she found the Grandmaster's viewing box, she made a silent gasp as she saw her fathers and the scuffling guards giving her no sign of Marcie. All she had was her sister's desperate cry of her name that grew more panicked each time she made it.

Keeping her eyes on the Grandmaster's smirking face, Carolyn asked, "What are you doing to her?"

Gripping onto her spear, she pulled it back then threw it up towards the window. Unfortunately, her strength failed her, and she watched the spear plummet back into the dirt without making so much as a dent.

Carolyn's anxiety bottled up to the surface as she took several pants, her vision blurring as she yelled, "MARCIE!"

"CAROLYN!"

Fang's roar echoed through the coliseum, prompting Carolyn to turn around and see him stepping towards her with thumping feet.

Marcie's screams rang through her ears, the sound mixing in with the cheers of the crowd. They pounded in her ears and made her body vibrate, forcing her to squeeze her eyes shut and clench her fists. Her moment to focus on her panic caused her not to notice the real transformation taking place on the battlefield.

Carolyn barely noticed her body begin to sprout several inches and her skin turn bright green. Her clothes shifted color with her, as they morphed into a white and purple bodysuit with the sleeves and pant legs reaching as far as her elbows and knees. The hair tie keeping her ponytail in place snapped in the growth, allowing her black hair to fall down to her shoulders and frame her new face.

Having reached her breaking point, Carolyn opened her eyes and shouted, "LEAVE HER ALONE!"

The crowd was brought to a hush as they stared at the new girl before them, prompting her to look around at their shocked faces. She looked down at her hands and gasped when she saw their new color, turning them over several times to be sure. She glanced around at her arms and the rest of her body, unable to help the delighted chuckle from escaping her mouth.

Clenching her hands into fists once more, she threw them up in the air and cried, "I CAN DO THE THING!"

The cheers returned and were more passionate ever, leaving the only room in the coliseum without noise being the Grandmaster's box.

Marcie managed to break away from the guards and stand before the glass, her hands gently pressing against it. Her fathers were frozen in their seats, their mouths agape as they chorused, "Oh my god."

The Grandmaster settled into his seat and let his smirk grow across it. "Showtime."

Carolyn's confidence returned as she cocked her head towards Fang, bending herself into a fighting stance. "Let's do this."

She took a running start towards Fang and jumped in the air, bending her right leg out. She kicked him square in the chest and landed back on her feet, watching as Fang was pushed back into the adjacent wall.

She let out a breath as she shook herself out. "Hoo, I like how that felt! Come on, piggy! Try that again!"

Fang stood back up and charged after her, swinging his hooved hand over his head. As he stood before Carolyn, he gave her an underhanded punch that sent her crashing into the dirt.

Carolyn grunted to herself as she pushed herself up, her vision hazy and swimming. Once it settled, she looked over and noticed her spear lying beside her.

"I knew I was going to need this."

Carolyn grabbed it and charged after Fang, swinging the spear below her. Once she faced him, she smacked him in the ankles with the spear, knocking him to his feet.

She threw the spear aside and waited for him to get back on his feet before throwing him a series of kicks and punches that sent them moving down the field. With the little strength he had, Fang punched Carolyn again and sent her and the spear crashing into the wall.

Carolyn grit her teeth as she sat back up, holding the spear in front of her. Fang charged after her from the opposite side of the coliseum, giving her time to think of a move.

Nodding to herself, she took several steps forward then ran back towards the wall. Carolyn pushed herself off of it and felt herself fly through the air, raising the spear over her head. With a mighty yell, she sent the weapon into Fang's back and planted her feet on his shoulders. She felt herself mount on top of him as his body toppled to the ground, the towering pig moving no more.

Carolyn threw her fists in the air with a smile as the crowd let out a riotous cry at the victory. She turned around so she could face everyone, reveling in their praise and her success.

When her circle was complete, she focused on the Grandmaster's box and found her fathers staring at her with identical open mouths. In that moment, they weren't what mattered to her. What mattered was the relief flooding onto Marcie's face as she smiled at her sister, both of them secured with the knowledge that they were going to return to one another after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! :D


	10. Chapter 10

The elevator door opened to reveal Carolyn taking a breath, now back in her normal form. She stumbled out but was quick to regain her footing, staring ahead with a tired smile.

"Hey, guys."

"Oh my god, you're okay," Bruce said as he threw his arms around her. "W-We were so worried about you."

"Yeah, don't worry, Dad. I'm fine. A little tired, but I feel pretty great overall. I mean...I won a fight!"

"Yeah, and that's the last fight you win for a while because you and your sister are grounded once we get home for sneaking off and causing Sakaar all this trouble," Tony said, wearing a stern expression with his hands on his hips.

Carolyn shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, okay. We deserve that." She flashed a smirk up at him. "But how cool did I look out there?"

"Oh my god, you looked fantastic."

Tony and Carolyn laughed to themselves as they threw their arms around each other.

The former added, "I never thought I'd say I'm so proud of my daughter for spearing a giant pig, but I've had weirder days."

"Um, can we address the most important part of all this?" Marcie broke in between them and gave her sister a wide-eyed stare, a smile creeping onto her face. "You can Hulk out."

"I can Hulk out!"

"H-How?"

"I guess the stress just...built up inside of me and caused it to come out."

"Well, better you than me to be the one with powers. You'll handle it better than I ever would."

"Oh, I totally will. I mean, did you guys see me out there? I felt fantastic!"

"Wait, hold on," Bruce spoke up. "You remember everything that happened out there? You were completely conscious the whole time?"

Carolyn stuck out her lip and shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much."

Bruce let his shoulders sag. "How come you can and I can't?"

"Maybe the Hulk works differently in female bodies than male bodies," Marcie said.

Bruce stared ahead with a glare and sighed. "Figures."

"Wow, wow, wow," a voice close to them said.

The family looked ahead and fired identical glares at the Grandmaster as he sauntered over to them.

"You, my dear, are full of surprises. You tell me all day that you can't do it, try to avoid me, then you whip it out at the last minute. I get it. You wanted to keep me on the edge of the seat. Well, consider me kept. So how about it? You rest up for today, celebrate in the ballroom, and get right back out there tomorrow. Huh? Do you guys like that? Because I love it."

Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He looked over at the Grandmaster and started, "Look, Grandmaster-"

"Dad."

Bruce looked down to see Carolyn giving his hand a squeeze with a tender smile.

"Let me handle this."

Bruce couldn't help but notice how much older his daughter looked as she stood beside him. Whatever had happened to her during the day had turned her from a cocky preteen into a confident teenager. Now that she had powers to harness and control as well, he knew she'd take everything much more seriously too. In that small moment, he trusted her completely.

A smile forming on his face, Bruce nodded down at Carolyn and let her go, watching as she stepped over to the Grandmaster with a swivel in her step.

"Listen, dude," she said. "You were right. I had a great time out there today. And getting an extended tour of your home was pretty cool too. But the circumstances for both of those...just don't cut it. Look, I want to be a green girl just as much as you want me to. But I want to do that in my own home. I want Earth to see me in action, not Sakaar. And especially not because you're paying me."

"Whoa, hold on," Tony spoke up. "Don't think you're going to be a hero just yet, missy. You haven't even entered high school."

Carolyn turned back to scoff at him. "Come on! Really? Not even if I practice all summer?"

"Look, let's talk about this when we get home, please. This is still too much for me," Bruce said, exhaustion creeping into his voice.

The Grandmaster added, "Yeah, and I believe she was talking to me."

Carolyn turned back around to face him. "Right, sorry. My point is that the answer is still no, Grandmaster. You are not seeing me or my family ever again."

"Not even if I offer for your family to stay here with you?"

Carolyn let out a bitter chuckle as she placed her hands on her hips. She took a step towards him and craned her neck up, giving him a smug smile. "Do you want to know my final answer, dude? Do you _really_ want to know?"

"Absolutely." The Grandmaster rubbed his hands together with an excited smile, his feet practically bouncing in anticipation.

His face was soon met with a green fist, causing him to stagger back and hold onto it. The family watched agape as Carolyn pulled her fist back, shaking it out as it turned back to its normal white.

She let out a whistle and said, "That feels better each time."

"Wait, you can control it too?" Bruce asked as he shook his head. "How come girls have it easier?"

A sharp hissing sound began to fill the air, causing the family to look down the hall. A swirling gold portal appeared before them, revealing the main hall of the Sanctum Sanctorum on the other side.

Tony sagged his shoulders with a sigh. "Well, it took him long enough."

"Come on, girls. Let's go home," Bruce said, wrapping his arms around his daughters.

The group began to make their way towards the portal and stepped inside, Tony practically hopping through it. Bruce and Carolyn were next, but Marcie trailed behind for a moment to wave at the Grandmaster, who stood against the wall.

"Thanks for letting us visit!"

With a gentle hop, she stepped through the portal and watched as it closed behind her on the other side.

The family walked down the main steps of the Sanctum Sanctorum, keeping their gaze ahead even as Stephen floated beside them.

Carolyn said, "So I'm trying to run through potential hero names for myself. What do you guys think of Hulkette?"

Marcie sneered at her sister. "You can do better than that."

"Girls, please. I really don't want to talk about this right now," Tony said. "I just want to go home."

Carolyn widened her eyes and held her hands up in surrender. "Alright. Tough crowd, geez. I'll keep thinking."

"Welcome back, everyone," Stephen said as they walked past him. "How was your visit to Sakaar?"

"Never again," the family chorused.

Stephen shook his head with a chuckle. "Yes, that's what they all say. It seems like I brought you back at a good time."

"Thanks again for your help, Stephen. It was good to see you," Bruce said with a wave.

"Of course. Anything for good friends."

The family then made their way out the front door and stepped down the stairs towards their car parked on the street. Carolyn didn't leave the facility at first, instead stopping to face Stephen in the doorway.

"Hey, Stephen," she said. "You can see the future and all that, right?"

"I can."

"So...you knew about everything that was going to happen today, right?"

Stephen shrugged with a smirk. "I had a hunch."

Carolyn let a smile creep onto her face. "Thanks for letting it play out the way it did."

"Think nothing of it...She-Hulk."

A quiet gasp left Carolyn's mouth as it formed into a small O. Stephen kept his smirk aimed at her, now throwing a wink in with it. Carolyn's grin grew wider as she gripped onto the door frame, excitement bubbling within her.

She was broken out of her thoughts by a car horn sounding outside, making her turn her head.

"Come on, kid! We got to beat the traffic!" Tony called from the driver's seat.

"I'm coming!"

Carolyn then took off down the steps and hopped into the car, sitting right beside Marcie. The two sisters gave each other a smile as their car took off down the busy Manhattan road, ready for whatever the galaxy threw at them next. After all, they had a hero on their side now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I’m glad you all decided to join these girls again. I’ve been waiting to reveal that Carolyn is my version of She-Hulk for the MCU (She-Hulk Disney+ show?? I don’t know her). So be on the lookout for more adventures (and misadventures) with Carolyn and Marcie.
> 
> “But Lex Lemon, who was that boy Marcie saw in Chapter 4 that we never saw or heard from again?” Well, you know how in some TV shows, they introduce a character for a split second and make it seem like they’re not important but then, you find out they’re going to be a main/recurring character for the rest of the series? I guess you’ll just have to wait and see if he ends up being one of those. ;)
> 
> Thanks again!


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